How Do Drywood Termites Look?

So, you know that you have a termite problem in your yard. However, do you know exactly which type of termite that it is that you need to treat? It can be ineffective to treat your termite with the wrong termite treatment, so it is important to be accurate with your termite identification. For this post, I am going to tell you how to tell if the termite that you have spotted is a Drywood Termite.

Drywood termites are called Drywood because they do not need to live in an environment with a lot of ground moisture to survive. They mostly live in Southern California and along the Gulf Coast. It is important to note the difference between these termites and their counterpart, subterranean termites, for they require completely different treatments.

Drywood termites live within the wood itself and do not require soil contact. So an ideal living spot could be within a dead tree still standing or even your house or storage shed. They also have small colony sizes so they may not be easy to spot. One way to spot them is to look for their fecal material. Drywood termites leave “sand like” droppings. To spot these, kick out holes in the wood and see what falls out.

Drywood termites are a light brown color and have six legs. They are long and oval shaped and range from 3/8” to 1” in size. They do fly and have antennae. These termites aren’t the largest of termites and remember that they stay above ground to nest so they do not need soil. If you have termites festering in poles, limbs, fences or lumber then these are probably the ones attacking it.

If you want to prevent Drywood Termites from infesting your house, make sure that you use treated wood during construction. If you do not, then you should immediately coat it with something that will prevent your wood from getting infested.

If you find that you do have a problem with Drywood Termites, then you should probably seek a professional or attempt some DIY Termite Control treatment.